From vanilla to faux villa!

Guess who accidentally deleted her entire inbox today?  And then, before she realized it, deleted her entire 'deleted' folder? This gal. Whoopsie-doodles.  So please feel free to email me again if you've emailed me recently.

And please feel free to gape and gawk at this awesome project from Better After reader Sheri. Sheri had this enormous retaining wall in her tiny backyard. One day, she saw a picture of an Italian villa with bricks similar to her wall, and inspiration knocked!  So she answered by creating this awesome faux villa. It comes complete with a framed door (a $3.95 reject from Lowe's that she painted to look like wood), windows made from scrap lumber and two layers screen, plus solar lights underneath so they look lit up at night, new landscaping, and even a door-knocker and a little flagstone path leading up to it!

She reports its now the best feature of her backyard instead of being an eyesore. I'll say!

Here's a look at the door before.  Seriously, $3.95?! I never find these deals.  Not that I'm going around buying random doors that often, but still.  The door isn't actually attached to the wall, it's mounted to the frame and anchored to the ground with post stakes.

One more look, just because I think it's so darn clever!  Great job Sheri!

The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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That reminds me...

Everybody needs a good reminder once in a while:  Don't forget Grandma's birthday. Floss. Buy stamps. Pack deodorant. Return those shoes. Flush. 

Here's another one: White paint is magic!  It's pretty common knowledge, but just in case you forgot, Heather shows us what a few coats of white can to to unify a gallery wall made from cheapie thrift store picture frames.  What a cost-effective way to make a statement! She says she's never paid more than $3 for a frame. 

And for fun, here's a  glimpse of the whole room.  So cool!

The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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Bid Brain

One day, Meg innocently walked into an auction. The next thing she knew she was struggling to load this massive hutch in the back of her truck, and had no memory of what happened in between.  Something about her bidding hand developing a mind of its own... 

What she didn't realize until she got this puppy home, was how truly enormous it was.  Over seven and a half feet tall and six feet long!  It was also crying out for a little bit of color, so she went at it with a homemade batch of chalk paint.  It turned out so good, I'm really tempted to DIY some myself. (Or should I just say DIM?) See more on her blog Never a Dull Day.

The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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World's Longest Yard-sale Road Trip!

Well hello there.  I hope you had a great weekend.  Additionally, I hope you are going to have a great week, because I know I will!

Here's why: GMC and OnStar have invited me and a few other bloggers on a road trip through The World's Longest Yard-Sale! I am so excited I almost can't breathe.  This is pretty much the biggest thing that's ever happened to me as a blogger.

My partner for this journey is none other than Brooke from All Things Thrifty!  (I was secretly worried that I would get paired up with some weirdo with whom I had nothing in common, so this was a BIG relief!)

Plus, we will be riding in style because they are hooking us up with brand new Yukon Denalis to borrow as we travel from Michigan all the waaaaay to Alabama hunting for treasures.

When we get to Alabama, we will use our treasures to fix up a Habitat for Humanity home that will be given to a single mom and her two kids!  That is the coolest part of all.  And it's happening on Sunday.  As in, seven days from now!

I'm swinging between being totally psyched and really freaked out.

I can't wait to see the South!
Am I going to die from humidity?
 
I've wanted to go to The World's Longest Yard-sale for as long as I can remember!
What if I can't find anything good and I'm a total failure?

We get to drive brand new awesome Yukons!
What if I crash the brand new Yukon?

Such a cool opportunity to work with Habitat for Humanity!
What if I lose my mind and start stapling hay to the walls ala 'Trading Spaces' or something?


Anyway.
I really am SO excited, especially to meet the other DIY bloggers coming along on this escapade:

Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl
Donna from Funky Junk Interiors
Traci and Cy from Beneath My Heart.

Not a bad crew, eh?

I plan to post updates as well as I can, so be sure to follow along on Twitter and Facebook too.  (I'm the worst twitterer in the world, but I'll try my best).

Have you ever been to The World's Longest Yard-sale?  What should I wear? Where should we eat?  Are you going to be there too?  I would love to meet you!

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eShakti

 

Hi there!  Just wanted to share a quick message from one of my coolest sponsors, eShakti.

Ever find a dress that you love, but it's a tad too short?  Or maybe it fits perfectly, but the sleeves are weird?

Well, you won't run into that problem with eShakti, because they let you customize almost everything about the clothing they offer.  Sleeve type, hem length, even most of the necklines on their clothing can be changed to your preferences.

 Genius.  Why doesn't EVERYONE do this?

 

 I've been a proud customer of eShakti long before they ever heard of me. It's so fun to customize, I feel like I'm on Project Runway or something. So, head on over there an check them out, I pinky-promise you will be glad you did.  

And now for the special message part: right now they are offering YOU 10% off just for being a Better After reader, which can be used in conjunction with their 40% off sale going on now!  If my math is correct, that's 50% off! 

Just use BE20SEY at check-out, offer is good til July 31st.

Can be used multiple times, does not apply to the 'overstock' category.

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Painless Project Potluck

Ever feel bummed out because a big, huge makeover isn't in your budget?  I'm talking about, like a living room makeover or something.  YOU don't need a makeover dear, you are lovely just the way you are. So don't fret.  Because in case you forgot, you don't need big bucks to make a big difference.  Here are a few little teensy projects to fire up your inspiration rocket.

Elaine at Visual Meringue made over this framed vegetable print (that she had drawn herself, neat!) into robot art for her son's bedroom.  The robot used to be part of a greeting card!

Bobbie at My Creative Life Diary got brave and painted this brassy bird-cage.  I say she's brave, because the cage was actually a pricier item that she bought brand-new.  It's a bit of a mind trip to pay full price for something knowing that you are going to take it home and potentially ruin it.  But she didn't, it looks great! All the little bits of decorative flair gave it so much more personality.

Better After reader Eva was bored with these blue storage bins, but that's nothing that paint and some creative taping couldn't fix.  Uh-oh. This idea has awoken my inner OCD monster.  Now she is convinced that we should go paint all our storage totes in the garage so they will match each other.

Michal found an old jewelry box to remake into a sewing supply stash for a special handmade gift for her mother. And she really used her hands - she scraped that flower (alien?) thing off with her fingernails!  Ouch.  The things we do for our moms. See more cuteness on her blog HERE.

Finally, Tanya at Dans le Townhouse took one look at this seagull and laughed and put it back on the shelf.  No wait, that's what I would have done.  She took it home, painted it all white, and stuck it on her all white wall.  Very cool and subtle, almost like a bas-relief. I dig it.

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The sticker is the kicker!

If you want to teach your kids a lesson about leaving their toys outside, just scare them straight by flip flopping these before and after pics.  Before: a brand new toy.  After: a pasty pink sad-mobile ravaged by the sun! They are sure to be effectively terrified.

However, don't tell them that you can easily restore it to its former glory with some spray paint and a call to the company to order new stickers like Better After reader Beth did.  I never knew you could such a thing. (Buy new stickers, that is. I am well aware of the power of spray paint).  Great job Beth!

The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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Spellbinding

Gretchen found this cool set of chairs at an auction, and they remind me a bit of an abacus.  I don't really know how to use an abacus.  Who does?  Proper use of abacuses (abaci?) really isn't a necessary life skill these days, I guess. It sounds more like a spell from Harry Potter.  Abacus calculatus!  The spell that does your math for you!

Annnyway, before we wander off track any further, check out what Gretchen did with this set, and the beaten up mahogany table she picked up at the auction as well. Super cute.  See more on her blog Gretchen's Garage.

And wait!  There's more where that came from.  Kind of!  Because this dresser didn't come from the auction, it actually came from the basement of Gretchen's father-in-law, who had apparently been hiding it in shame.  Gretchen worked her magic and made it shine again, and I love how the scalloped detail really stands out now.  Check out her blog to get a better look at that refinished maple top, HERE.

 

The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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Counting on it.

Sarah had had this old dresser lying around for years and years. Then one day, her dad caught a raging fit of awesomeness and offered to strip off the endless layers of old paint for her so she could finally start to finish it. That gave her the boost she needed to get going, and I am loving the results.  Attractive and educational!  I need this for my daughter Mia, who insists that counting goes "one ... two ... three ... SIX." She cannot be unconvinced.

See it up close on Sarah's blog Cozy.Cottage.Cute.

The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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Handle with Care

You know what I think jazzed up this little potty nook the most?  It's not the shelves, even though they made a huge impact, obviously. In fact, I pinned something almost exactly like them on Pinterest a few months ago.  I thought it would be perfect for my potty nook too, which made me realize that all three of the toilets in our home are in teeny tiny outhouse-sized rooms.  My little powder room is actually the roomiest water closet of all!  That just seems wrong.  (I don't actually say 'water closet' in real life.) 

Anyway, back to what I think really jazzed up this room the most: it's the shiny new toilet handle!  Such a simple thing to upgrade. Now it's chic to flush!  (Not that it ever wasn't).  (Someone tell my kids).

From Wendy at Designed to Dwell.

The Ugly Lamp Contest is coming soon!  Submit your ugly lamp to me at BetterAfter@live.com by August 10th!

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Bungalow Fever

Andrea is renting a historic little bungalow that came with a nicely-sized dining room featuring wood floors, a window seat, and thick baseboards.  Let's be honest here, she could have set up a dining set made from cardboard boxes and old buckets and that room would still be awesome.  But, of course, she didn't. She redid this '80s set she found for $50 at Salvation Army with a deep walnut stain on the tabletop and chalk paint on the base and chairs. Plus a pretty french script fabric to replace that rather hideous floral. Beaucoup mieux!  See more on her blog Fiber and Fire.

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